Last night's new moon made for perfect viewing of the Perseid meteor shower. This image is from early August 14 in the Berryessa-Snow Mountain National Monument in Northern California, about 75 miles northwest of Sacramento. The sky is framed by the oaks in the Coast Range foothills. Although the Perseid meteor shower is winding down, there are still opportunities for viewing over the weekend. Camping is permitted in most locations of the monument which is far enough from city lights, for great night skies. If you venture out this weekend, note that parts of the area south of State Highway 20 is temporarily closed due to a wildfire. For more information, visit http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/nlcs/Berryessa_Snow_Mountain.html

Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Space.com.